Barbara Hepworth: In Equilibrium

Overview

This summer, the Heide Museum of Modern Art is celebrating the works of famed British artist Barbara Hepworth through its new In Equilibrium exhibition.

Dame Barbara Hepworth is known for being one of the greatest modernist sculptors during the 20th century, and the first female sculptor to achieve international recognition and accolades. The Heide Museum has curated more than forty of them for this exhibit, many of which have never been seen in Australia.

Eidos, 1947, Barbara Hepworth, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. © Bowness

They will take over the main galleries of the Heide Museum from November 5, 2022, to March 13, 2023 and will trace Hepworth's career, including her early figurative carvings, forming a complete retrospective of her life's works.

Much focus will be on her inspirations, too. Nature was one of Hepworth's main influences, with the artist inspired by the coastal landscape of St Ives in Cornwall, where she lived and worked for much of her artistic career. From the movement of tides to Cornwall's magnificent and towering ancient standing stones, the artist's later sculptures are a nod to much of the patterns and shapes found naturally formed in nature.

In Equilibrium offers up a rare opportunity for Australians to experience Hepworth's sculptures and learn more about Hepworth herself — who was one of the leading British artists of her generation.

Drawing for sculpture—Santorin, 1955, Barbara Hepworth, Image courtesy The Hepworth Wakefield. © Bowness

Tickets to Barbara Hepworth: In Equilibrium cost $22 (+ booking fee) for adults, $17 (+ booking fee) for concession holders and are free for Heide Museum of Modern Art members. 

Top image: Sculpture with Colour and Strings, 1939, Barbara Hepworth, Ingram Collection, London. © Bowness